Apple this week released watchOS 3, a major update to its Apple Watch software. If you already have an Apple Watch, you’ll definitely want to install the the update (using the Watch app on your iPhone). If you’re an iPhone owner and you’ve considered getting a smartwatch, we think watchOS 3 finally makes the Apple Watch good enough for non-techie people to try.

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Installing watchOS 3 makes a first-generation Apple Watch feel like a new, more capable device. After using the beta for a while, and installing the official version this week, we can say that our watches feel snappier and more responsive throughout, with a more intuitive interface. Even better, third-party apps are dramatically faster and more usable. Basically, the Apple Watch now behaves the way you’d want a smartwatch to behave, whether you’re using the built-in features or the apps you’ve installed.

Wunderlist used to take 20 to 30 seconds to open and show a to-do list. Now it’s almost instant.

The biggest change in watchOS 3 is its speed. Everything happens faster, but the most noticeable difference comes when you open a third-party app—assuming, of course, its developer has updated it for watchOS 3. Apps launch much more quickly than in the past, and because they can now refresh their data in the background, they’re usable right away. For example, Wunderlist, our favorite to-do list app, used to take 20 to 30 seconds to open and show a list. Now it’s almost instant. Similarly, popular weather app Dark Sky now almost instantly displays the current conditions, rather than making you wait while it spins, spins, spins. This improvement alone makes the Watch a much more capable device, because it can reliably do the things it’s supposed to be able to do.

The new Dock is much more useful than the older Glances feature—in part because apps launch faster and are more usable.

The faster app loading improves other parts of the OS, as well. In order to get around the issue of slow load times, prior versions of watchOS relied on Glances to give you a (sort of) quick look at an app’s most-important data or features. This approach is no longer necessary, so in watchOS 3, the new Dock gives you full, live previews of your favorite apps that you can quickly access by pressing the Watch’s big side button.

We’re also really enjoying the little interface and navigation improvements. For example, you can now create new watch faces on your iPhone—they show up instantly on your Apple Watch. You can switch between faces on the Watch with a simple swipe on the screen, instead of having to force-press, swipe, accept, and so on every time. Additionally, many more apps can now offer complications for adding information to watch faces. This feature gives you more options for seeing useful data or quickly accessing apps beyond your favorites in the Dock.

Because faces are now more capable and easier to switch between, we’re actually using them now as opposed to picking one and sticking with it based on aesthetics alone. For instance, you can now create a workout face that shows your activity for the day and lets you jump into run tracking with a tap, as well as a simple photo display—in color or black and white—for occasions when you just want to see the time.

Even tasks as minor as creating a new watch face—which you can now do on your phone—are much easier.

Other small improvements include improved message replying—you can write directly on the Watch’s screen, if you want. And a new SOS feature lets you call local emergency services by simply holding down the side button. Finally, the Watch is easier to use with wireless headphones, because Apple added an audio-source toggle button to the Control Center that’s accessible with a quick swipe up.

Overall, watchOS 3 changes the Apple Watch from an interesting but quirky gadget for early adopters into a useful accessory that could be appealing to a lot more people. If we don’t discover any major issues during further testing, you can expect us to update our Apple Watch review to have fewer caveats, soon after we’ve had a chance to try the new Apple Watch Series 2.

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